Shen Yujing rubbed his eyes, feeling that the current scene, including the atmosphere between Song Yi and Hang Feng, was very strange.
No, not just strange—eerie would be a more appropriate description.
Shen Yujing turned to Murong Huan and asked uncertainly, "Is she always like this?"
Murong Huan paused before responding, "No... I don't think so?"
But looking at Song Yi's current behavior, she wasn't quite sure anymore.
Shen Yujing couldn't make sense of it, but he still walked over and chimed in, "Hey, we're doing you a favor by inviting you to join us."
Hang Feng remained silent.
Song Yi looked at Shen Yujing and said in a low voice, "What's it to you?"
From Shen Yujing's perspective, if Hang Feng didn't join them, Murong Huan would probably lead them to find Jiang Yiheng instead.
Compared to Jiang Yiheng, Shen Yujing found Hang Feng slightly more tolerable, so he decided to join Song Yi in "inviting" Hang Feng.
Quan Le chimed in as well: "Yeah, exactly! Look at our team—we've got brains, we've got strength, and you wouldn't even be deadweight. Winning first place would be a piece of cake with you on board! What's there to hesitate about?"
Hang Feng looked at the three people in front of him. The way they stood there saying such things was just—
Completely unconvincing!!!
Hang Feng still said, "I refuse."
Song Yi wasn't genuinely trying to invite Hang Feng anyway, so she sighed and put on a regretful expression, "What a shame, I guess it wasn't meant to be."
Seeing that Song Yi wasn't planning to pursue the matter further, Hang Feng started to leave.
But before he could get far, Shen Yujing suddenly caught up with him and blocked his path.
Remembering how much Shen Yujing and Song Yi had talked on their way here this morning, Hang Feng's expression wasn't particularly friendly toward him.
With a cold face, he said, "What else do you want to say?"
Shen Yujing crossed his arms and looked Hang Feng up and down, saying, "Join us. You know who I am—I can fulfill any request you have."
"Big talk." Contempt flashed in Hang Feng's eyes as his expression darkened. "You really think having money means you can control everything?"
He had always despised rich kids like Shen Yujing who threw their weight around at school just because they were born into privilege, thinking they were above everyone else, never respecting others.
But in reality? Often these so-called noble and privileged people had to face even more dark and dirty dealings lurking in the shadows.
Over time, they naturally became assimilated into that kind of person.
Selfish, cold-blooded, extreme, and self-centered.
No matter how kind and gentle they appeared on the surface, they were rotten to the core, with even their blood being tainted.
As Shen Yujing and Hang Feng faced off, everyone could feel the inexplicably tense atmosphere in the air.
And just then—
"Hahahahahahaha!"
Song Yi burst out laughing.
Both Hang Feng and Shen Yujing looked at her, confusion evident in their eyes.
Song Yi was laughing so hard she could barely stand straight, holding onto Murong Huan's arm as she began to "repeat" Hang Feng's words, "Don't think you're so great just because you have some dirty money! Don't insult me with your filthy wealth!"
These were the kind of lines that only a Cinderella character would say to the demon prince in old-school idol dramas—who could relate?
A silence fell over the scene; at least no one there could relate.
Murong Huan carefully supported Song Yi, both worried she might fall over from laughing and completely unable to understand what she found so funny.
Even Quan Le stepped forward and placed a hand on Song Yi's forehead, "No fever..."
So Quan Le looked at Hang Feng and said, "See? Your rejection of joining our team has driven Song Yi crazy."
Song Yi: "?"
These four people's reactions were so boring; none of them understood her sense of humor.
It felt awkward to be the only one laughing, so Song Yi forced herself to stand straight, then looked at Hang Feng, preparing to irritate him enough to leave.
Song Yi's mind raced quickly, recalling a classic line from a Mary Sue drama.
She cleared her throat, raised one hand, looked at Hang Feng, and said seriously, "I, Song Yi, swear to the earth, to the sky, to the clouds, to the wind, to the flowers and rainbows [Note 1]. If you join us, no matter what difficulties we face, we will always stay by your side until we achieve victory."
Murong Huan felt something odd about Song Yi's words but couldn't quite put her finger on what was wrong.
Hang Feng lowered his eyes to look at Song Yi, seeming to contemplate something.
Song Yi widened her eyes dramatically and even gave Hang Feng an exaggerated, cheesy wink, appearing extremely enthusiastic.
Just when Song Yi thought Hang Feng would ignore them and leave as usual, he nodded.
Hang Feng: "Alright."
Song Yi: "Those who are meant to leave can't be kept, if the sand in your palm can't be held, then let it scatter! Since you're so unwilling to join us, we won't..."
Hang Feng interrupted her, "I said alright."
Song Yi: "Ah... alright?!"
Wait! What does he mean by alright?!
Hang Feng walked to the front, leaving them with these words, "Let's go, my teammates."
Shen Yujing also smiled, waving at Song Yi, "Come on, he agreed to join us!"
Quan Le joined in the celebration like a cheerleader: "Yay! Our new team is formed! We've got the strength! We've got the brains! It's a perfect combination! Let's go! We must get first place this time!"
Murong Huan sighed, feeling a bit disappointed, as she still preferred having Jiang Yiheng join their team.
But thinking about it carefully, Jiang Yiheng probably wouldn't have agreed anyway, so settling for Hang Feng wasn't bad either.
At least Hang Feng had excellent grades, and with Song Yi, they had at least two smart people on the team, giving them a good chance of winning.
#Only Song Yi's World Achieved Confusion and Sadness#
As she followed along, Song Yi's mind remained blank.
No, wait, she still didn't understand.
Why? How? How did it end up like this?
So Song Yi tried to communicate with her system, asking: What's his deal?
Why isn't he following the usual script?
The system explained to her.
[It's because you just told him 'no matter what difficulties we face, we will always stay by your side'—being abandoned is like a childhood trauma for Hang Feng, so he was moved by your words!]
Song Yi pondered thoughtfully: Childhood trauma, huh? So if I abandon him, he definitely won't like me?
[...]
[Host needs to understand that there's a difference between not being liked and being hated—the former will make him stay away from you.]
As for the latter, the system didn't say, but Song Yi understood.
If it was the latter, it would make Hang Feng hate her, leading him to do things that antagonists typically do.
That wouldn't do at all.
So Song Yi took out her phone and started searching—
"How to make a boy dislike you."
Comments and answers:
1L: Pick your nose in front of him.
2L: Bite your toenails in front of him.
3L: Tell him there's no such thing as Ultraman, and there is no light in the world.
4L: Wipe your mouth with a dishcloth after eating in front of him.
5L: Use your foot-wiping towel to wipe his mouth.
...
31L: If you use these thirty methods above, he will definitely dislike you! If it still doesn't work, it proves he really likes you, and then even the editor can't help you!
Song Yi: "..."
Her hand holding the phone trembled slightly.
If she followed these suggestions and performed all thirty actions in front of Hang Feng.
No, better yet, find an opportunity to gather Shen Yujing, Jiang Yiheng, and Hang Feng together, and do it in front of all three of them, killing three birds with one stone.
After that, all three of them would probably hate her, but besides that, she wouldn't have to do anything else.
Never mind, let's think about it later... later...
Since the team was already formed, the group went to the gathering point to fill out the team registration form and received their team number sticker—
Number 38.
Song Yi immediately shoved the sticker into Shen Yujing's hands, "You're the team captain."
If someone were to call her "Team 38 Captain" later, it would sound terrible.
Besides, having a number 38 sticker on her clothes wouldn't look good either.
But Shen Yujing, holding this sticker, felt extremely excited and considered this light piece of paper extremely "precious."
This was not an ordinary sticker - it was a symbol of identity and honor, and more importantly, it represented the trust that Song Yi and the entire team had placed in him.
So Shen Yujing very formally and solemnly placed this sticker on the most prominent position on his left chest, then proceeded to give his inauguration speech.
"Thank you everyone for your trust. As the captain of the Celestial Dragon Team, no matter what events we compete in next, I'm confident I can lead us to first place!"
Quan Le applauded: "Yay!!!"
Song Yi frowned, "What's with 'Celestial Dragon Team'? Why such an awful name?"
Shen Yujing explained to her: "It means 'heaven's pride, outstanding among men' - shortened to Celestial Dragon Team. If you prefer, we could be the Celestial Phoenix Team instead."
Song Yi: "..."
What nonsense.
Shen Yujing thought some more: "Or maybe Wild Wolf Team? Wolf King Team?"
Song Yi, Murong Huan & Quan Le: "..."
Fine, let's just stick with Celestial Dragon Team then.
Meanwhile, Hang Feng hadn't participated in any of their discussion, just standing neither too far nor too close at a distance of about three meters.
As team captain, Shen Yujing's natural sense of duty and responsibility made him step forward.
He looked at Hang Feng and started criticizing: "What's wrong with you over there? Why are you standing so far away? Regardless of whether we knew each other before or not, we're all teammates now. We need unity to win first place, understand?"
Hang Feng: "..."
It was precisely because they were too noisy that he wanted to stand further away.
And suddenly, he somewhat regretted his earlier impulse to join this team.
In Hang Feng's heart, there was a vague sense of unease and regret, but unfortunately it was too late to back out now.
Well, let's see how it goes.
While waiting for other teams to gather, the Celestial Dragon Team observed the strength of their competition.
Jiang Yiheng was grouped with other student council members, including that soccer forward who had tried to invite Song Yi earlier.
Quan Le pointed at them and analyzed: "Jiang Yiheng is really smart, and those two next to him are from the student council too - they're all in the top fifty of our grade. As for the other two, one's the soccer team's forward and the other is the basketball team captain - they both have good stamina."
Shen Yujing nodded, concluding: "So they're our strongest competitors, we can't underestimate them."
Song Yi: "So what's the prize for first place?"
Murong Huan: "Don't know."
Song Yi: "Then why do we have to get first place?"
Shen Yujing: "Because we need to win."
Quan Le nodded, "Since we're here anyway."
Murong Huan lifted her chin somewhat haughtily: "I can't lose to Jiang Yiheng, he'll look down on me."
Song Yi: "..."
So, nobody could say anything actually useful - why did they need to get first place?! What's with this inexplicable competitive spirit?!
Finally, Hang Feng slowly said: "In previous years, the top three teams all received different levels of scholarship money."
Song Yi: "!!!"
Money? Why didn't you say so earlier! That works! Now she's motivated!
Shen Yujing: "Oh, it's about money? Never paid much attention, didn't know about that."
Quan Le: "It's not that we didn't pay attention, mainly we never got any good rankings - we usually left halfway through."
Shen Yujing: "No, it's because we didn't care, okay? If we wanted to, getting first place would be easy!"
Quan Le: "But during last year's grade trip at the shooting range abroad, we got eliminated in the first round because you shot at the opponent's target!"
Shen Yujing: "...Shut up."
Quan Le: "?"
What did he say wrong?
Song Yi: "..."
These two really seemed unreliable - was it too late for her to switch to the soccer forward's team?
Of course, having already filled out the registration form, there was clearly no chance of that.
Over the next hour, students gradually formed their teams, and then the teacher announced the first task of the day.
From now on, everyone was forbidden from returning to the hotel.
All over the mountain, the school had placed many "supply packages" containing necessities for "surviving" on the mountain, including physical items, water, flashlights, and other essential supplies.
Besides these, there might also be some "little surprises."
Everyone had to collect these resources before six o'clock - the more items found, the greater advantage they would have in the evening's official activity.
Song Yi asked curiously: "What exactly are we doing tonight?"
Murong Huan responded somewhat impatiently, "All this mystery - they better have something new planned."
Shen Yujing: "It doesn't matter, whatever the competition is, I'm confident I can lead us to first place!"
Song Yi glanced at him, holding back words that had reached the tip of her tongue—
You're the least reliable-looking one here, you know?
Of course, Shen Yujing would never realize how useless he appeared in Song Yi's eyes; he remained full of confidence.
As team captain, Shen Yujing assigned tasks, "It would waste time if all five of us stay together. I suggest we split into two groups to search for supplies. Let's meet back here in two hours, how's that?"
Murong Huan nodded, "Fine, then I'll pair with Song Yi, and you three go together."
Shen Yujing disagreed, "I think we should mix males and females - guys have more strength, girls are more detail-oriented, that way we'll be more efficient."
Murong Huan: "So?"
Shen Yujing: "I'll pair with Song Yi, and you three go together."
Murong Huan naturally disagreed, letting out a cold laugh before saying directly: "Dream on."
She had given Shen Yujing face by letting him be captain, but didn't expect him to get so presumptuous.
Who did Shen Yujing think he was? How dare he compete with her for Song Yi - what a fool's dream!
On these mountain paths, being alone together was a perfect opportunity to develop feelings and create romantic moments.
Usually, Murong Huan would have been happy to give Shen Yujing a chance to be alone with Song Yi.
But today was different - in two hours it would be dark, and if Song Yi wasn't by her side then, she would be... scared.
Just like Quan Le's motion sickness, Murong Huan also had a weakness - she was afraid of the dark.
Thinking of this, Murong Huan held Song Yi's wrist even tighter, giving her a pitiful look as if to say—
You can't value romance over friendship!
As expected, Murong Huan and Shen Yujing started arguing.
They went back and forth, and though it was just two people, they argued with the intensity of an entire platoon.
Song Yi was getting a headache listening to them, and raised a hand, "Stop."
Murong Huan: "Are you going with me or with him?"
Shen Yujing: "You don't have to go with me, but you absolutely can't go with her."
Murong Huan: "Same here!"
Song Yi: "Then let's all three go together, and let Hang Feng go with Quan Le."
Shen Yujing/Murong Huan: "No! You can only choose one!"
They both looked furious, as if they might flip the mountain over if Song Yi chose the other person.
Song Yi rubbed her chin, appearing deep in thought, and said: "In that case, there's only one solution."
One minute later.
Murong Huan and Shen Yujing stood to one side while Song Yi grabbed Quan Le's arm with her left hand and held Hang Feng's sleeve with her right, saying with satisfaction: "I choose neither of you - you two go together."
Shen Yujing: "..."
Murong Huan: "..."
"Meet back here in two hours, everyone do your best!" Song Yi called out, then turned and walked in another direction.
Quan Le immediately followed, while Hang Feng lagged half a step behind, following neither too close nor too far.
Shen Yujing and Murong Huan were left staring at each other.
After a while, Shen Yujing spoke first, "This is all your fault."
"Heh." Murong Huan let out a cold laugh and said directly: "Idiot."
It was all because of Shen Yujing that she couldn't be with Song Yi.
She had been helping Shen Yujing all this time, but didn't expect him to be so ungrateful.
In that case...
She would introduce Song Yi to an even better guy!
She would let Song Yi know there were plenty of people in the world better than Shen Yujing!
Thinking this, Murong Huan turned and left.
The earlier she went, the earlier she could return - she could collect plenty of supplies on her own, as long as she got back before dark.
And Shen Yujing naturally had no desire to stay with Murong Huan either, so he walked off in another direction.
The Celestial Dragon Team hadn't even officially begun their mission when internal relationships were already falling apart.
Meanwhile.
Song Yi and Quan Le walked side by side, with Hang Feng following behind them.
Quan Le looked around and said, "Why can't we find the supply package? Is the school playing tricks on us?"
Song Yi replied, "We're too close to the gathering point. Everything nearby has probably been taken already. Let's go further and look."
Quan Le nodded, "Okay."
Sure enough, after the three of them left this area, they quickly spotted their first supply package.
It was an ordinary black box with Saint Slee Academy's initials written in gold ink.
However, the box was placed in a tree, at a height beyond arm's reach. Someone would need to climb up to get it.
Quan Le: "I'll do it!"
Quan Le went over confidently but slid down after climbing barely half a meter up the trunk.
He laughed awkwardly, "Seems like I can't do it."
Song Yi looked at him with disapproval, "Don't try to show off if you can't handle it."
Song Yi prepared to demonstrate her skills and show them what she was capable of.
Under Quan Le's admiring gaze, Song Yi gripped the tree trunk with her legs and, using her core strength, climbed up smoothly.
One step, two steps, getting closer and closer.
When Song Yi finally reached the same height as the supply box, Quan Le applauded and shouted admiringly, "That's amazing, Song Yi!"
Song Yi could not only climb the tree but also maintain her balance, turning back to flash a brilliant smile at Quan Le.
It was nothing, this was child's play for her.
But just as Song Yi reached out to grab the box, Hang Feng walked over.
He grabbed the lowest branches and shook them forcefully.
"Thud—"
The box fell straight to the ground as Song Yi and Quan Le watched in bewilderment.
Hang Feng picked it up, opened it, and began examining its contents.
Quan Le called up to Song Yi, "You can come down now!"
Song Yi: "..."
She knew that!
But who could have guessed the box was just wedged between two branches and wasn't even secured!
Song Yi suddenly felt incredibly stupid, just like that time Shen Yujing sat in a wheelchair at the infirmary only to end up being carried away on a stretcher.
Why take such a complicated route when there was such a simple solution!
Though feeling foolish, Song Yi had no choice but to climb down.
While climbing up had been easy, she never expected to accidentally miss her footing on the way down.
As she fell, Song Yi saw Hang Feng running toward her, reaching out to catch her.
Of course, he wasn't successful.
Song Yi distinctly felt herself bounce off Hang Feng before they both crashed to the ground.
But it was fine—she had landed on top of Hang Feng, so she wasn't hurt.
At that moment, the system's voice chimed in—
[Ding~ Classic Mary Sue novel scene initiating~]
[Destined encounters always come unexpectedly. Slipping and falling is an essential plot device in Mary Sue novels to develop the protagonists' relationship~ Please check it out~]
Song Yi: "..."
She was used to it, really.
She just hadn't expected that besides Shen Yujing, this could happen with the antagonist Hang Feng too.
It would be fine as long as it wasn't one of those cliché scenes where they accidentally kiss while falling—
Huh??
Wait, what was this warm sensation on her lips?!
Song Yi opened her eyes in horror to find herself face-to-face with Hang Feng, practically zero distance between them.
They... they had kissed?!!!
Damn.
That single word filled Song Yi's mind and seemed to define her entire existence.
Meanwhile, Quan Le, who had witnessed everything from the sideline, had an expression that practically screamed—
Holy shit, I can't believe what I'm seeing.
Song Yi immediately scrambled to get up, trying to salvage this terrible situation.
Hang Feng had one hand planted on the ground, his knees bent as he also tried to stand.
Then, Song Yi slipped again.
She fell once more, this time straight into Hang Feng's arms.
When her nose crashed into Hang Feng's chest, Song Yi felt pain so intense she nearly cried.
Hang Feng, who had just sat up but hadn't managed to stand, had blood on his lower lip and an extremely complicated expression.
At this moment, he could only maintain his balance with one hand on the ground while awkwardly patting Song Yi's shoulder with the other, "Hey."
The usually gloomy youth's voice carried an indescribable emotion for the first time, "Are you... okay?"
Just then, Shen Yujing's shocked voice rang out from behind them, almost a desperate cry—
"What are you doing?!!!"
At this moment, Shen Yujing felt as if he'd been bathed in green light, unable to believe what he was seeing.
What were Song Yi and Hang Feng doing?
And Quan Le! Why was he just standing there? Was he their love security guard or something?!
The system's gleeful voice chimed in: [Oho~ Drama time~]
Meanwhile, only one thought remained in Song Yi's mind—
I'm going to kill this Mary Sue!!!
Today it was just falling and accidental kisses, but what if next time it turned into some CEO's pregnant runaway wife plot?!
Whoever wants to be this Mary Sue protagonist can have it! She quits! She absolutely quits!!!
